Ingredients

  • 2 cups sifted whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 12 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 12 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 14 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 18 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 12 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
  • 14 cup canola oil
  • 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 34 cup lowfat buttermilk
  • 14 cup raw unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 3 ounces neufchatel cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 12 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice

Method

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper cups.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, evaporated cane juice, and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice until well mixed.
  • Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg).
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, oil, and eggs until combined.
  • Whisk in the pumpkin, vanilla, and buttermilk.
  • Add dry ingredients into wet and stir just until fully moistened.
  • Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup a little less than half way full; smooth batter with back of a spoon to even out.
  • Spoon about 1 heaping tsp of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each cup.
  • Top with remaining batter.
  • Each cup will be almost completely full.
  • Smooth tops with back of a spoon.
  • Sprinkle each filled muffin cup with a few pepitas.
  • Bake muffins for 20-23 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (a bit of cream cheese clinging to the toothpick is fine, but there shouldnt be any raw batter).
  • Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely.